Method and Apparatus for Stent Retention on a Balloon Catheter
A balloon is inflated from a collapsed configuration, then deflated. A polymeric stent is then disposed over the deflated balloon and the stent crimped to the balloon.
This invention relates to methods of crimping a stent on a balloon, and a stent secured to a catheter assembly.
BACKGROUNDA stent, as illustrated in
Generally, stent crimping is the act of affixing the stent to the delivery catheter or delivery balloon so that it remains affixed to the catheter or balloon until the physician desires to deliver the stent at the treatment site. Current stent crimping technology is sophisticated. Examples of such technology which are known by one of ordinary skill in the art include a roll crimper; a collet crimper; and an iris or sliding-wedge crimper. To use a roll crimper, first the stent is slid loosely onto the balloon portion of the catheter. This assembly is placed between the plates of the roll crimper. With an automated roll crimper, the plates come together and apply a specified amount of force. They then move back and forth a set distance in a direction that is perpendicular to the catheter. The catheter rolls back and forth under this motion, and the diameter of the stent is reduced. The process can be broken down into more than one step, each with its own level of force, translational distance, and number of cycles. This process imparts a great deal of shear to the stent in a direction perpendicular to the catheter or catheter wall. Furthermore, as the stent is crimped, there is additional relative motion between the stent surface and the crimping plates.
The collet crimper is equally conceptually simple. A standard drill-chuck collet is equipped with several pie-piece-shaped jaws. These jaws move in a radial direction as an outer ring is turned. To use this crimper, a stent is loosely placed onto the balloon portion of a catheter and inserted in the center space between the jaws. Turning the outer ring causes the jaws to move inward. An issue with this device is determining or designing the crimping endpoint. One scheme is to engineer the jaws so that when they completely close, they touch and a center hole of a known diameter remains. Using this approach, turning the collet until the jaws abut each other crimps the stent to the known outer diameter. While this seems ideal, it can lead to problems. Stent struts have a tolerance on their thickness. Additionally, the process of folding non-compliant balloons is not exactly reproducible. Consequently, the collet crimper exerts a different amount of force on each stent in order to achieve the same final dimension. Unless this force, and the final crimped diameter, is carefully chosen, the variability of the stent and balloon dimensions can yield stent or balloon damage.
In the sliding wedge or iris crimper, adjacent pie-piece-shaped sections move inward and twist, much like the leaves in a camera aperture. This crimper can be engineered to have two different types of endpoints. It can stop at a final diameter, or it can apply a fixed force and allow the final diameter to float. From the discussion on the collet crimper, there are advantages in applying a fixed level of force as variability in strut and balloon dimension will not change the crimping force. The sliding wedges impart primarily normal forces. As the wedges slide over each other, they impart some tangential force. Lastly, the sliding wedge crimper presents a nearly cylindrical inner surface to the stent, even as it crimps. This means the crimping loads are distributed over the entire outer surface of the stent.
All current stent crimping methods were developed for all-metal stents. Stent metals, such as stainless steel, are durable and can take abuse. When crimping is too severe, it usually damages the underlying balloon, not the metal stent. But polymeric stents present different challenges. A polymer stent requires relatively wider struts than metal stents so as to provide suitable mechanical properties, such as radial strength. At the crimping stage, less space is provided between the struts which can result in worse stent retention than a metallic stent. Moreover, the use of high processing temperature during the crimping process to enhance stent retention may not be possible as a polymeric stent may have a glass transition temperature between 40-60 degrees Celsius. Higher processing temperatures may cause the stent to lose some of its preferred mechanical properties.
Polymeric stents can also be more susceptible to crack propagation during crimping or expansion by a balloon. When a polymeric stent is placed on a balloon and a crimping pressure applied, the load on the struts can vary significantly. A significant cause for this load variation is the balloon surface, which due to its variation in surface geometry and stiffness properties over the surface imposes non-uniform reaction forces to crimping against the stent luminal surface. As the stent is pressed into the balloon surface, different stent struts will experience different loadings because the balloon does not everywhere have the same stiffness properties, i.e., some areas are less compliant than others. Moreover, the balloon surface is generally not smooth. As such, bumps or mounds over the balloon surface, especially in areas of relatively high stiffness, can produce different loadings across the stent body. For example, when a stent is crimped on a non-compliant balloon having folded wings or pleats, there can be noticeable bumps or mounds in the areas where the material is folded. Moreover, the stiffness in these areas, i.e., where the balloon material is folded over itself, can be noticeable higher than in areas distal from the folds. Variations in the surface geometry of the balloon and/or stiffness about the circumference and/or length of the balloon can lead to high stress concentrations resulting in twisting, bending, warping of individual struts or segments of the stent. Excessive loading in areas near corners, especially corners having surface imperfections created during the stent making process (typically a high stress area), can result in propagation of micro cracks leading to a significant reduction in strength or outright failure of a strut when the stent is expanded to its full diameter by the balloon.
The present invention provides a novel method of crimping a stent, more specifically a polymeric stent on an expandable member or a balloon, and a novel apparatus for delivery of a stent on a balloon catheter.
SUMMARYIn accordance with one embodiment, a method of crimping a stent on a balloon of a catheter assembly includes inflating a balloon, deflating the balloon, disposing the stent over the balloon after deflating the balloon, and then crimping the stent to the balloon. The balloon may be inflated to an intermediate pressure, maximum pressure, or hyper-inflated pressure for the balloon before being deflated. Various crimping procedures known in the art may be used. In some embodiments, the crimping procedure may include a step in which the balloon is re-inflated when the stent is disposed over the balloon. In some embodiments, the deflating step may deflate the balloon to about atmospheric pressure.
In some embodiments, the act of inflating the balloon inflates a balloon configured in a collapsed configuration, such that the balloon has prearranged folds that are heat set. When the balloon is inflated, the heat set folds are removed, or substantially removed from the balloon. When the balloon is deflated, the balloon may partially reform the folds.
In another embodiment, a method of securing a stent on a balloon of a catheter assembly, the balloon having pre-arranged folds when configured in a collapsed configuration, includes the steps of inflating the balloon such that the folds are substantially or completely removed, and crimping the stent to the balloon after the folds are substantially or completely removed. In some embodiments, the balloon is configured in a collapsed configuration, the folds are such as to form shape memory in a membrane of the balloon, and the crimping step includes crimping the stent to the balloon configured such that a portion of the shape memory in the balloon is still present in the membrane. During the crimping step, the balloon may be compressed such that at least a portion of the folds present in the collapsed configuration are replaced by irregular folds.
According to another embodiment, a method of crimping a stent to a balloon includes the steps of inflating the balloon from an initial diameter to a final diameter, deflating the balloon such that the balloon forms a relaxed state, and after deflating the balloon, crimping the stent to the balloon. In some embodiments, the balloon pressure is reduced to about atmospheric when the balloon is in the relaxed state.
According to another embodiment, a balloon catheter includes a balloon of the type having a membrane predisposed to form at least one prearranged fold when in a collapsed configuration, the balloon being configured in a compressed configuration such that the at least one prearranged fold is replaced by at least one irregular fold in the compressed configuration, and a stent secured to the balloon.
According to another embodiment, a balloon catheter includes a balloon of the type configured to have at least one prearranged fold when in a collapsed configuration, and a stent compressed onto the balloon such that the balloon is devoid of the at least one prearranged fold. In some embodiments, the balloon is a non-compliant balloon. In some embodiments, the balloon has a plurality of prearranged folds when configured in a collapsed configuration, and when the stent is compressed onto the balloon the plurality of folds are replaced by folds resulting from the compression of the stent onto the balloon.
In one aspect, embodiments of a method and apparatus are disclosed that can reduce the instances of failed or bent stent struts during crimping and/or subsequent expansion of the stent by a balloon catheter. In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method and apparatus to improve stent retention and uniform expansion of the stent. In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method and apparatus for an improved manufacturing procedure, such as elimination of time consuming steps and improved quality control when stents are secured to a balloon.
The figures have not been drawn to scale and portions thereof have been under or over emphasized for illustrative purposes.
Embodiments of the stent crimping methods of the invention disclosed herein are suitable to adequately and uniformly crimp a balloon expandable stent onto a balloon or expandable member of a catheter assembly. The embodiments of the invention may also be applicable to stent-grafts. In one embodiment, the method of the present invention is particularly directed to crimping of a biodegradable, polymeric stent on a balloon of a catheter assembly. A biodegradable polymer stent has many advantages over non-biodegradable metal stents, including the ability to be disposed in the body only for the duration of time until the intended function of the stent has been performed.
Crimping of polymer stents has proven more challenging than metal stents. A polymer, having generally less favorable stress/strain properties than a metal, is more likely to become damaged during crimping as compared to a metal stent. High stresses are better handled by a metal stent due to its inherent material properties. Polymeric stents, however, can fracture when faced with a similar crimp loading. As such, a polymer stent is generally less tolerant of localized high stresses resulting from non-uniform applied loads that can occur when the stent is pressed into a balloon.
Retention of a polymer stent on a balloon of a delivery catheter while it is passed through a body lumen has proven more challenging than that of a metallic stent. Polymer stents can require wider struts than metal stents so as to provide suitable mechanical properties, such as radial strength, for the stent. At the crimping stage, less space is provided between the struts which can result in worse stent retention than a metallic stent. Moreover, the use of high processing temperature during the crimping process to enhance stent retention may not be possible as a polymeric stent may have a glass transition temperature close to body temperature. Higher processing temperatures may cause the polymeric stent to lose some of its preferred mechanical properties.
Additionally, stents can shift on a balloon during a crimping process. For example, if the balloon is inflated while the stent is disposed over the balloon in a crimping machine, the stent longitudinal axis can become skewed from the balloon longitudinal axis, or the stent can shift axially. If this should occur, the stent and balloon will need to be removed from the crimping machine, the stent re-centered and the crimping protocol re-started. It is believed that this misalignment is usually due to non-uniform expansion characteristics of folded balloons. For example, some wings or pleats of a folded balloon may unfold faster than others. This can produce a net torque on the stent over its length, or unequal radial expansion when the balloon is viewed in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Friction between layers or inconsistent pre-loading of folds when wings are formed are factors contributing to uneven balloon expansion.
The balloon is illustrated in
Embodiments of the invention include the known types of collapsed balloon configurations, provided they are capable of being crimped to a stent and then delivered to a site within the body according to the disclosure. Stents crimped to compliant and semi-compliant balloons may also benefit from the teachings of the invention. As such, stent delivery systems that use compliant and semi-compliant balloons are also considered within the scope of the invention. Balloon folding techniques and balloon types are discussed in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,383, U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,688 and U.S. Pub. No. 2005/0244533, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference as examples of the state of the art in this area.
Methods according to some embodiments of the invention can include an inflation of the balloon from a collapsed configuration to an inflated state, a deflation of the balloon from the inflated state, and then crimping the stent to the balloon using any known crimping procedure, provided those procedures are not inconsistent with the disclosure. The suitable choices for the crimping device and/or procedure that may be used in connection with embodiments of the invention will be understood from the disclosure. The crimping, inflation and deflation aspects of the disclosure may each include additional steps or processes, some of which are disclosed herein while others would be readily apparent based on the disclosure.
According to a disclosed embodiment, a method for securing a stent to a balloon begins with inflation of the balloon 10 to an inflated state, as shown in
The inflated shape may also be understood in terms of the internal balloon pressure when the balloon is in the inflated state, instead of the balloon shape. The balloon 10 is inflated by a pressure source (not shown) connected to the proximal end of the catheter 12 in
In some embodiments, the inflated state may correspond to a hyper-inflated balloon. Hyper-inflation is defined as any pressure or size above the intended expanded configuration but less than a pressure or size that creates an unacceptable risk that the balloon will be damaged. For example, a hyper-inflated pressure for a 3.0 mm balloon would be an applied balloon pressure that causes the balloon to expand to 3.5 mm or 4.0 mm, which diameters should usually not cause balloon damage. Balloon diameter tolerances depend on the type of balloon and the material from which the balloon is made, among other factors. The manufacturer of the balloon can provide such information to a user, for example.
An intermediate pressure refers to a pressure that, while not reaching the maximum intended pressure, is sufficient to substantially remove the folds or kinks in the balloon material when the balloon was in the collapsed configuration, or places the balloon in a substantially unfolded configuration. For example, an intermediate pressure for the balloon 10 would be the pressure sufficient to substantially undo the kinks 11a and 11b caused by the folded, collapsed configuration in
A softening agent can be applied to the balloon surface before, during or after the inflated state has been reached. This can make the balloon surface softer or more pliable and can also help to work-out some of the shape memory properties of the balloon material remaining from the heat set. The term “work-out” is intended to mean the application of a loading, e.g., inflating, coating, and/or heating of the balloon to reduce or undo the shape memory in the material that resulted from the balloon folds in the collapsed configuration, such as folds that were heat set in place. The balloon may be inflated and deflated several times as this may also help to work-out the shape memory properties. The deflated pressure for these embodiments may be near the collapsed configuration or relatively close to the less-than the intended maximum pressure, the maximum pressure or the hyper-inflated pressure level. For example, the inflated pressure of the balloon may be cycled between ambient pressure and the intended maximum pressure, the intermediate pressure and the maximum pressure, etc.
The temperature of the liquid or gas used to expand the balloon to the inflated state may be adjusted to other than ambient or room temperature, and the inflated state may be maintained for a period of time. For example, the balloon may be expanded or contracted by a heated, chilled or cold fluid, respectively. In some embodiments, a heated fluid can be defined as above 25 deg. C. In some embodiments, the temperature can be below 200 deg. C., or alternatively below 150 deg. C., or alternatively below 100 deg. C., or alternatively below 75 deg. C. In some embodiments, the temperature can be between 25 deg. C. and 100 deg. C. A cooled fluid can mean below 25 deg. C. A chilled fluid can mean below 0 deg. C.
Subsequent to configuring the balloon 10 in an inflated state, the balloon is placed in a relaxed state, as depicted in
In some embodiments, the relaxed state corresponds to the balloon surface showing generally the same wings that it had in the collapsed configuration as a result of shape memory in the membrane, but the wings are partially formed. When the stent is subsequently crimped to the balloon, irregular or random folds form as a result of the circumferential forces during crimping, in spite of the presence of the partially reformed wings. In some embodiments, some of the prearranged folds can be found on the balloon after crimping. In some embodiments, the prearranged folds are no longer present after crimping.
For example, the relaxed state for balloon 10 can correspond to a shape that shows a partial formation of the two spiral-wound wings 11 in
A balloon pressure for the relaxed state may be arrived at by simply opening the valve 24 to allow fluid to exit from the balloon, or by a controlled release of the fluid. The fluid may be released continuously or in stages, e.g., 1 atm per minute, etc. In some embodiments, a relaxed state corresponds to the shape of the balloon when the pressure inside is at about atmospheric pressure. In other embodiments the relaxed state is achieved when the balloon pressure is decreased to a pressure less than the pressure corresponding to the inflated state, e.g., 10-30%, less than 50%, 50-60%, 60-80%, 80-90%. In some embodiments, the balloon pressure may be less than the maximum intended pressure but higher than ambient pressure. In some embodiments, the balloon is allowed to deflate only by an amount sufficient to enable a stent to be easily placed over the balloon, or so that a stent may be snugly fit over the balloon.
In some embodiments, the aforementioned inflating and deflating steps may be repeated one or more times in order to arrive at a desired relaxed state. These additional steps, in addition to other loadings of the balloon intended to work-out shape memory in the material, as discussed earlier, may be advantageous to further promote a more uniform expansion of the balloon. A more uniform expansion of the balloon is desirable because the balloon should be less likely to expand the stent in a irregular manner. Further, a more uniform expansion should equate to more uniform stiffness properties of the balloon over its surface and, in particular, in those areas proximal to bumps or mounds as compared to areas distal from bumps or mounds. As such, when the stent is pressed into the balloon during crimping the localized stress concentrations should not be as severe. This should reduce instances of crack propagation in a stent strut and/or undesired plastic deformations of the crimped stent.
After the deflating step, the stent is placed over the balloon, which is in a relaxed state. This stage of the process is depicted in
The stent 14 may be fully crimped onto the balloon 10 in one step, or the stent 10 may be crimped on the balloon using any multi-step protocol known in the art provided it can be used or adapted for use consistent with the teachings of the invention. Crimping can be defined as the process of mounting, fastening or securing a stent on a balloon. The stent can then be fixedly carried by the balloon and deployed by inflation and subsequent withdrawal of the balloon in order to implant the stent at a target site, such as a region of stenosis. The crimp process can include selectively, radially compressing or applying pressure for positioning a stent on a balloon of a catheter assembly or an expandable delivery member of a catheter assembly. The compression or radial pressure during crimping can be segmented or uniform across the length and/or circumference of the stent. The application of pressure by the crimping device 20 can be continuous or applied in an intermittent or step-wise fashion. In these embodiments, the balloon can be deflated and re-inflated until a final crimp configuration has been achieved.
The stent may be partially crimped on the balloon, followed by the balloon pressure being increased. The balloon may also be heated prior or during crimping. The final configuration of the stent 14 as fully crimped is illustrated in
In some embodiments, the crimping device can hold the balloon pressure at a desired pressure or temperature for a period of time prior to relief of pressure. The process of crimping can also include, unless otherwise specifically indicated, modifications made to the stent and/or balloon prior, during or subsequent to the application of crimping pressure that is directed to retention of the stent on the balloon. For example, the balloon can have an adhesive coating to improve the retention of the stent on the balloon. In some embodiments, the balloon can be dipped into a fluid or solvent such as acetone before sliding the stent on the balloon in order to soften the balloon material. This makes it easier for the balloon material to squeeze into the space between the stent struts. The solvents, such as acetone, may also partially dissolve the surface of the stent or coating on the stent allowing for better adhesion between the stent and the balloon. In some embodiments, a softening fluid can be used that is a non-solvent for the stent or the coating on the stent.
During the crimping stage, as with the inflation stage, the balloon 10 can be inflated by application of a fluid or a gas at a temperature other than ambient. In one embodiment, a heated fluid or gas is used when the stent is crimped onto a deflating balloon. In some embodiments, heated can be defined as above 25 deg. C. In some embodiments, the temperature can be below 200 deg. C., or alternatively below 150 deg. C., or alternatively below 100 deg. C., or alternatively below 75 deg. C. In some embodiments, the temperature can be between 25 deg. C. and 100 deg. C. In some embodiments, the temperature is equal to or above the glass transition temperature (Tg) of a polymer of the stent body or a polymer of the stent coating (if applicable). In some embodiments, the temperature is equal to or above Tg but less than a melting temperature of a polymer of the stent body or a polymer of coating over the stent body. In some embodiments, a cooled or chilled fluid or gas can be used to inflate the balloon. Cooled can mean below 25 deg. C. Chilled can mean below 0 deg. C.
In some embodiments, the outer surface of the balloon or the inner surface of a stent can include a coating, such as an adhesive coating, a drug delivery coating, a protective coating, a polymeric coating. If it is desirable instead to increase, not decrease friction, a heat activated adhesive coating may be used. For example, a polymer having a melting or glass transition temperature below that of a stent and balloon may be applied to the stent or balloon surfaces, and the stent and balloon heated to activate the coating so that the friction between stent and balloon is increased.
In another embodiment, the stent may be partially crimped and the balloon expanded by application of heat or inflated into the stent so that the balloon material begins to protrude into the gaps 18 prior to a final crimping step.
The stent body itself is preferably made from a polymeric material such as one or a combination of polymers. In some embodiments, such body can be made from a combination of polymeric and metallic material(s). In some embodiments, the stent is biodegradable. Both polymers and metallic materials can be biodegradable. In one preferred embodiment, the stent is completely or exclusively made from a polymeric material or combination of polymeric materials, more specifically biodegradable polymer(s). A polymeric stent can include some metallic components for allowing the stent to be viewed during the procedure; however, the amount of material is insignificant, does not impart any structural function to the stent, or for viewing means only such that the stent is in essence made from a polymeric material or combination of polymers as is understood by one having ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, metallic stents are completely excluded from any of the embodiments of this invention. Metallic stents have a stent body (i.e., struts or structural elements) made mostly or completely from a metallic material such as a pure metal or an alloy. It should be noted that biodegradable is intended to include bioabsorbable, bioerodable, etc. unless otherwise specifically indicated.
In some embodiments, the stent can include a drug coating. The coating can be a pure drug or combination of drugs. The coating can include a polymeric carrier for the drug, either a single polymer or multiple polymers. The coating can be layered as is understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art.
The stent or the coating can be made from a material including, but are not limited to, poly(N-acetylglucosamine) (Chitin), Chitosan, poly(hydroxyvalerate), poly(lactide-co-glycolide), poly(hydroxybutyrate), poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate), polyorthoester, polyanhydride, poly(glycolic acid), poly(glycolide), poly(L-lactic acid), poly(L-lactide), poly(D,L-lactic acid), poly(D,L-lactide), poly(caprolactone), poly(trimethylene carbonate), polyester amide, poly(glycolic acid-co-trimethylene carbonate), co-poly(ether-esters) (e.g. PEO/PLA), polyphosphazenes, biomolecules (such as fibrin, fibrinogen, cellulose, starch, collagen and hyaluronic acid), polyurethanes, silicones, polyesters, polyolefins, polyisobutylene and ethylene-alphaolefin copolymers, acrylic polymers and copolymers other than polyacrylates, vinyl halide polymers and copolymers (such as polyvinyl chloride), polyvinyl ethers (such as polyvinyl methyl ether), polyvinylidene halides (such as polyvinylidene chloride), polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl ketones, polyvinyl aromatics (such as polystyrene), polyvinyl esters (such as polyvinyl acetate), acrylonitrile-styrene copolymers, ABS resins, polyamides (such as Nylon 66 and polycaprolactam), polycarbonates, polyoxymethylenes, polyimides, polyethers, polyurethanes, rayon, rayon-triacetate, cellulose, cellulose acetate, cellulose butyrate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellophane, cellulose nitrate, cellulose propionate, cellulose ethers, and carboxymethyl cellulose. Another type of polymer based on poly(lactic acid) that can be used includes graft copolymers, and block copolymers, such as AB block-copolymers (“diblock-copolymers”) or ABA block-copolymers (“triblock-copolymers”), or mixtures thereof.
Additional representative examples of polymers that may be especially well suited for use in fabricating or coating the stent include ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (commonly known by the generic name EVOH or by the trade name EVAL), poly(butyl methacrylate), poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluororpropene) (e.g., SOLEF 21508, available from Solvay Solexis PVDF, Thorofare, N.J.), polyvinylidene fluoride (otherwise known as KYNAR, available from ATOFINA Chemicals, Philadelphia, Pa.), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, and polyethylene glycol.
A metal stent may also be used in conjunction with the above-described embodiments. The stent can be made of a pure metal or a metal alloy such as, but not limited to, stainless steel (316L), “MP35N,” “MP20N,” tantalum, nickel-titanium alloy, platinum-iridium alloy, gold, magnesium, or combinations thereof. “MP35N” and “MP20N” are trade names for alloys of cobalt, nickel, chromium and molybdenum available from standard Press Steel Co., Jenkintown, Pa. “MP35N” consists of 35% cobalt, 35% nickel, 20% chromium, and 10% molybdenum. “MP20N” consists of 50% cobalt, 20% nickel, 20% chromium, and 10% molybdenum. Stents made from bioabsorbable or biostable polymers could also be used with the embodiments of the present invention.
EXAMPLEPolymeric stents were crimped onto balloon catheters using a procedure consistent with the disclosure (hereinafter the “new crimping method”). For this test, a 3.0 mm non-compliant balloon was dilated from a collapsed configuration to an inflated state of between 12-20 psi, then deflated so that the stent internal pressure was about equal to atmospheric pressure. In this relaxed state, a laser cut polymeric stent (OD=0.136 in) was placed on the balloon and aligned between two marker bands. The stent and balloon were then placed into a crimping machine. The stent was then crimped to a designated diameter (0.053 in) in one step (from 0.136 in to 0.053 in) or several steps (from 0.136 in to 0.08 in, then to 0.053 in) in the range of 30 to 50 degrees Celsius. The crimping procedure included the steps of inflating the balloon before crimping, and after the stent was partially crimped to 0.08 in. The crimped stent was then sterilized by electronic beam radiation with a dose of about 25 kGray. The above procedure was performed for 30 stents. Only one of the crimped stents were observed to have very slight bent struts at one end after being crimped using the new crimping method, as observed under an optical microscope with 4× magnification. As a control group, a different lot of the 30 laser cut stents were crimped onto 3.0 mm non-compliant balloons using the same crimping procedure as above, but without inflating and deflating the balloon before crimping. In this group, seven stents with bent struts or uneven alignment were observed under the optical microscope at 4× magnification.
Ten stents crimped using the new crimping method, and ten stents from the control group were expanded by the balloon and subjected to accelerated aging (40 degrees Celsius) at 24 hour and 65 hour time points. The expanded stents from both groups were then inspected for cracks or fractures after being expanded by the balloon. For purposes of this test, the stents with designed expanded diameters of 3.0 mm were over-expanded to 3.5 mm, and then 4.0 mm diameters. TABLES 1 and 2 show the number of cracked and broken stents found in the stents crimped according to the new crimping method (“Lot B”) versus the stents crimped for the control group (“Lot A”).
“Sample #” indicates the particular sample from the respective lot. “25%” and “50%” refers to the length of a crack observed in a strut for a sample (as a percentage of the strut width). “Broken” indicates the number of broken struts following expansion for a sample. As evident from the data shown in TABLES 1 and 2, the new crimping method significantly reduces instances of cracked or broken struts after the crimped stent was expanded by the balloon, as compared to the control group.
TABLE 3 shows results of performance tests for the stents crimped using the new crimping method (Lot B) compared to the control group (Lot A). The data presented in this table show that the new crimping method does not produce any adverse effects on retention or slip resistance, recoil, radial strength and modulus of the stents as compared to the control group. The stent retention test was evaluated by a dislodgement test. Two out of the five of stents crimped using the new crimping method were found to have a much higher holding force.
Claims
1. A method of securing a stent to a balloon, comprising:
- inflating a balloon;
- deflating the balloon;
- disposing the stent over the balloon after deflating the balloon; and
- crimping the stent to the balloon.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inflating step includes inflating the balloon to an intermediate pressure, maximum pressure or hyper-inflated pressure for the balloon.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the deflating the balloon step deflates the balloon to about atmospheric pressure.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the inflating step inflates the balloon from a collapsed configuration wherein the balloon has at least one pre-arranged, heat set fold.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the inflating step inflates the balloon from a folded, collapsed configuration to an unfolded configuration such that all or substantially all folds in the balloon are removed.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the crimping step includes re-inflating the balloon when the stent is disposed over the balloon.
7. The method of claim 1, further including repeating the inflating and deflating steps prior to the disposing the stent over the balloon step.
8. A method of securing a stent on a balloon of a catheter assembly, the balloon having pre-arranged folds when configured in a collapsed configuration, comprising:
- inflating the balloon such that the folds are substantially or completely removed;
- disposing the stent over the balloon after the folds are substantially or completely removed; and
- crimping the stent to the balloon.
9. The method of claim 8, further including the step of deflating the balloon before crimping the stent, wherein the folds are partially reformed.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein when the balloon is configured in a collapsed configuration, the folds are such as to form shape memory in a membrane of the balloon, wherein the crimping step includes crimping the stent to the balloon configured such that a portion of the shape memory in the balloon is still present in the membrane.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein during the crimping step the balloon is compressed such that at least a portion of the folds present in the collapsed configuration are replaced by irregular folds.
12. The method of claim 8, wherein the balloon has a membrane and the collapsed configuration includes the membrane being pre-arranged into a plurality of wings or pleats so that the balloon has a minimum profile.
13. The method of claim 8, wherein the balloon is a non-compliant balloon.
14. The method of claim 8, wherein the inflating step includes unfolding a plurality of heat set folds in the balloon.
15. A method of crimping a stent to a balloon, comprising:
- inflating the balloon from an initial diameter to a final diameter;
- deflating the balloon such that the balloon forms a relaxed state; and
- after deflating the balloon, crimping the stent to the balloon.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein following the deflating step, inflating the balloon such that the balloon diameter is increased from an intermediate diameter to a crimping diameter and then crimping the stent to the balloon.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein the initial diameter is the diameter for a collapsed configuration for the balloon.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein the balloon internal pressure is about atmospheric pressure when in the relaxed state.
19. The method of claim 20, wherein the final diameter is at least about a maximum intended diameter for the balloon.
20. A balloon catheter, comprising:
- a balloon of the type having a membrane predisposed to form at least one prearranged fold when in a collapsed configuration, the balloon being configured in a compressed configuration such that the at least one prearranged fold is replaced by at least one irregular fold in the compressed configuration; and
- a stent secured to the balloon.
21. The balloon catheter of claim 20, wherein the collapsed configuration is such that heat set folds are formed in the membrane so that the membrane reforms the folds when the balloon is inflated and then deflated.
22. A balloon catheter, comprising:
- a balloon of the type configured to have at least one prearranged fold when in a collapsed configuration; and
- a stent compressed onto the balloon such that the balloon is devoid of the at least one prearranged fold.
23. The balloon catheter of claim 22, wherein the balloon is a non-compliant balloon.
24. The balloon catheter of claim 22, wherein the balloon has a plurality of prearranged folds when configured in a collapsed configuration, and wherein when the stent is compressed onto the balloon the plurality of prearranged folds are replaced by irregular folds resulting from the compression of the stent onto the balloon.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 28, 2007
Publication Date: Apr 2, 2009
Patent Grant number: 8046897
Inventors: Yunbing Wang (Sunnyvale, CA), Gregory Kilinski (San Jose, CA), Luis Vazquez (Lathrop, CA)
Application Number: 11/864,834
International Classification: A61F 2/84 (20060101);
